Euro 2012: The Bus and 4-6-0

Germany thumped Holland 2-1 and Portugal scraped past Denmark 3-2. Good night of football.

Some thoughts so far...

Spain. 4-6-0? I see them struggling. How could they start a match without a striker? Torres hasn't the best of season with Chelsea despite winning the Champions League. His confidence level is probably low and here we have the Spanish coach, starting without a striker. What a message sent out to Torres. This is like telling him that Fab is a better option. A midfielder playmaker is better playing a striker than him. And when Torres finally came on as sub, his confidence level is clearly down a couple of notches. What an own goal. I see them struggling.

Germany. They woke up and they looked good. Schweinsteiger was awesome. Really awesome. And Germany now have Super Mario! They now look much stronger than the Spanish.

Italy: I thought Cassano was superb. Credit should also go to Pirlo. I think this team can go far.

Portugal. Oh Ronaldo.....

England. I thought their bus was well parked. Scott Parker was immense. I lost count how many times he put his body in the line. That's what you called playing for their country unlike the Dutch. First time, England look more organised. Boring but with a solid defense and solid organisation can go far. But they lack the bus conductor - the playmaker.

Holland: They were awful, weren't they?